Heavier mothers give birth to heavier babies, says study
Posted on: 17/Mar/2016 9:42:37 AM
A new study has said that obese or overweight women give birth to larger babies. The study that was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association said that, in addition, those mothers who have high blood sugar or diabetes - even within a healthy range - also tend to give birth to bigger babies. However, women who have higher blood pressure during pregnancy give birth to smaller babies. The study was conducted by researchers at the Universities of Exeter and Bristol in the United Kingdom.
Speaking about this, one of the researchers said, Being born very large or very small can carry health risks for a newborn baby, particularly when that`s at the extreme end of the spectrum. Understanding which characteristics of mothers influence birth weights may help reduce the number of babies born too large or too small.
Data from more than 30,000 healthy women and their babies were examined across 18 studies. The women lived in Australia, North America or Europe. They were all from European lineage, and had babies between 1929 and 2013. Factors such as body mass index (BMI), blood glucose and lipid levels and blood pressure were examined, keeping in mind genetic variants associated with them. They also examined the same factors during pregnancy and the birth weight of the babies.
Results showed that the north weight in babies was 1.9 ounces or 54 grams more in mothers who had a BMI that was four points higher.
Says the study, The estimated associations between these maternal traits and birth weight (either increased or reduced) are substantial and of clinical importance. They support efforts to maintain healthy gestational glucose and blood pressure levels to ensure healthy foetal growth.
